Dry run for exclusive motorcycle lane along Commonwealth starts

The 11-day dry run for the exclusive motorcycle lane along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City started on Thursday, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said.

The dry run started at around 8 a.m. after the rush hour traffic, according to Jonathan Andal's report on Unang Balita.

The dry run will be from March 9 to 19, with the full implementation to start on March 20. Violators will be charged with a P500 fine.

“Nagsisimula na po ngayon. Ang ginawa natin, magli-linya tayo ng mga enforcers doon sa motorcycle lane at nag-assign tayo ng motorcycle unit na iikot para gabayan ‘yung ating mga motorcycle riders,” MMDA chairman Romando Artes said in a Dobol B TV interview.

(The dry run has already started. We have deployed traffic enforcers in the motorcycle lane and we have assigned a motorcycle unit to rotate around the area to guide our motorcycle riders.)

Some motorcycle drivers, however, asked authorities to fix the potholes on the motorcycle lane.

“Sa kabila tuwid ‘yung lane niya, tapos sa motorcycle puro lubak-lubak kaya lumilipat ‘yung iba,” said a motorcycle rider.

(The lanes for other vehicles are fine, but for the motorcycles, it is full of potholes. This is why other motorcycle riders use the other lanes.)

Artes said they would coordinate with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to address this concern.

The MMDA said the aim of the exclusive motorcycle lane is to reduce road accidents involving motorcycles.

A total of 1,686 or an average of five motorcycle-related road crash incidents per day were recorded along Commonwealth Avenue in 2022, based on MMDA’s data.

Of this number, 930 incidents caused non-fatal injuries, 743 caused damage to property, while 13 resulted in fatal injuries. —KBK, GMA Integrated News